This blog is all about how I how used humor to remain sane while dealing with the insanity of a brain tumor the size of my wife’s fist. Why blog? To help other folks cope with serious health issues/brain tumors/cancer and give anybody wading through the muck of rehabilitation some hope or at least a chuckle or two. It will include a vaguely chronological story, books reviews, presentations to rehab patients, etc.

Wednesday, October 1, 2014

Ketogenic Diet for Brain Tumor Patients: ABTA Webinar

When
the American Brain Tumor Association announced an online webinar about the
Ketogenic Diet, I realized that alternative medicine and the Ketogenic Diet have
gone mainstream (at least for brain tumor patients).

I’ve
been reluctant to jump on the Ketogenic bandwagon because I’ve read blog/victim
posts about the diet working and about it not working. I also worry that some
alternative medicines are being promoted without the scientific rigor and
examination that traditional treatments have had.

At
the same time, I also worry that traditional western medicine isn’t open to new
or alternative or creative solutions to our ongoing brain tumor problem. In
fact, Clifton Leaf’s wonderful book – “The Truth in Small Doses” – makes clear
that our current system for evaluating new solutions for combating cancer is
hugely flawed and practically shuns creative, out-of-the box solutions.

So
if you’re a victim or caregiver or friend or family member affected by brain
tumors, here’s the promotional blurb for the webinar:

“More and more patients
and families are turning to integrative medicine to fight their brain tumor
diagnosis.One such integrative
treatment is the Ketogenic Diet. Join Leonora Renda, RDN, of University of
Arizona Cancer Center at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center as she
discusses what the Ketogenic diet is, how to achieve ketosis, the challenges
associated with this specialty diet and the results that have been seen thus
far in the research studies.”